Toy building structure



July 16, 1957 J.' L. LULLO 2 799, 3

TOY BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed May 23, 1955 v 2 Shets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR.

JAMES L. LULLO ATTORNEYS July 16, 1957 J.- 1.. LULLO 2,799, 18

TOY BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed May 23, 1955 z Sh eets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.JAMES 1.. uu o ATTORNEYS United States Patent() I TOY BUILDING STRUCTUREJames L. Lullo, Chicago, 111., assignor to Richard C. Lindbcrg and JamesL. Lullo, Chicago, 111., as trustees Application May 23, 1955, SerialNo. 510,471

3 Claims. (Cl. 46-26) This invention relates to toy building blockswhichmay be assembled in various ways to form different structures.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a set of toy buildingblocks consisting of corner structural members and connector memberstherefor which may easily be assembled to form a number of different andornamental toy structures.

The invention is characterized by corner structural members in the formof cubes which are apertured to receive dowel-like connector members,the corner members and the dowel-like members being assembled to form astructure in space with the dowel-like members being interchangeable asgirder and column members, the so formed structure in space beingcovered by panel members which interlock with the connector members topresent upon final assembly a completely enclosed miniature structure.

Other objects and important features of the invention will be apparentfrom a study of the specification'following taken with the drawingswhich together illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention andwhat is now considered to be the best mode of practicing the principlesthereof. Other embodiments of the invention may be suggested to thosehaving the benefit of the-teachings herein, and it is therefore intendedthat the scope of the invention not be limited by the precise embodimentherein shown, such other embodiments being intended to be reservedespecially as they fall within the scope of the appended claims.

. In the drawings:

Fig. l is an elevational view of a structure having the improvementsaccording to the present invention embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the structure seen inFig. 1, looking from the right to the left, showing in part the mannerin which the members, are connected to form a structure in space, andshowing panel members which are interlocked with the connector membersthereof;

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2 looking in thedirection of the arrows, and showing the manner in which the panels areinterlocked with the connector members;

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of one of the cube shaped structural memberswhich form points for connection for connector members to define astructure in space;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of one of the connector members which isconnected to the cube shaped structural member seen in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 2and looking in the direction of the arrows, showing how the connectormembers are locked to the cube shaped structural members;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the panels arranged to bedetachably connected to the connector members, and showing details of alocking rib on the inner side 2,799,118 Patented July 16, 1957 thereof,said locking rib being arranged to secure the panel detachably to theconnector members;

Fig. 8 is a section taken along the line 88 of Fig. 7 looking in thedirection of the arrows; and

Fig. 9 is a section taken along the line 99 of Fig. 1 looking in thedirection of the arrows, showing the construction of a panel memberespecially shaped to provide one of a bottom course of such panelmembers.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 a structure inspace indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. The structure 10consists of a number of connected parallelepiped structures eachconsisting of corner structural members indicated generally by thereference numeral 11, horizontal and vertical side connector members 12,and panel members 13 which are detachably secured to the side connectormembers 12 so as to completely enclose the structure seen in Fig. 1.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 2 to 6, each of the corner members11 is in the form of a hollow cube, as shown. The corner members 11 areeach provided with apertures 14 in at least three faces thereof, if suchmember is to be used as a cornice member C as seen in Fig. 1, or in fourof the faces thereof if such member is to be used as a side cornermember as CS seen in Fig. 1. Such structural member 11 would be providedwith such apertures 14 in four of the faces thereof if used as an outerwall corner member WC seen in Fig. 1. Interior corner structural members11 are provided in all six faces thereof with such openings 14 as willbe readily understood.

Preferably, each of the corner members 11 will be made hollow as seen inFig. 6, and may be formed of plastic from two half cube elementscemented together to result in a structure as seen in Fig. 4.

It is entirely within the scope of the invention, however, that the cubemmbers 11 be formed from a solid mass of material and drilled to providea number of bores therein instead of apertures 14 for a purpose as willappear.

All of the corner members 11 are connected by the side connector members12, and as seen in Figs. 5 and 6 the side connector members 12 are inthe form of a dowel which is slotted as at 16 at each end to give acertain amount of resiliency thereto. Each of the dowels has an annulargroove 17 near the end thereof and the ends of the dowels 12 are roundedas at 18 to permit easy entrance thereof within the aperture 14, thesides of the groove 17 of the dowel 12 engaging a wall 18 of the hollowcube member 11 as seen in Fig. 6.

As has been stated, the corner members 11 may alternately be providedwith bores therein, and in such an event, the dowel 12 is not providedwith the groove 17. By reason of the deformation possible by the slot 16in the dowel, such dowel 12 may be inserted in such bore and be heldfrictionally thereby. It is preferred, however, by reason of thedesirability of having the units assembled with a fairly close toleranceto construct the cubes 11 and the dowels 12 in the manner shown in Figs.4 and 5.

The dowels 12 and the corner members 11 may thus be assembled as seen inFig. 1 and 2 to provide a structure in space. It will be seen that thedowels may be used interchangeably as girders or columns. Theso-constructed structure may be provided with floors by interior panelmembers similar to that shown in Fig. 7 and which may be laid upon thedowel members 12 as seen more particularly in Fig. 9.

However, the exterior panels 13 of the structure seen in Fig. 1 arearranged to lock at at least two points with the dowel members 12. Asseen in Fig. 7, each panel member 13 has a rib 21 on the inner facethereof, such rib extending for the length of the panel 13 and beingprovided at each end with a contour matching the contour in crosssection of the dowel 12. Such rib 21 is arranged at its ends to embracemore than 90 of central angle of the dowel 12 so as to provide aninterlocking action therewith, the panel 1-3 beingheld; in placeby suchinter-- locking action, but beingcapable of being detached from thedowel 12 as desired.

Each of the panels 13 has a rectangular shaped cut-out 22 at the cornersthereof so that it will fit snugly against the corner members 11-, asseen more particularly; in Figs. 2 and 7.

As seen in Figs. 2, and 9, the panels 13 do not lie flush:

with the plane of thecorner membersill, but itis. entirely within thescope of the invention. that they so do.

Referring now to Fig.9, there is shown a. form ofipane'li 1313 which maybe used as a base course of suchipan'els,v so' that an edge 21' thereoflies flush with. the: bottom surface of the corner members 111 whichrest upon the:

support, not shown, for the structure 10, Panel 13'Bi need not benecessary for purposesof uniformity;

All of the corner members 11 may be providedw-ith:

six apertures 14 in the case of'a hollow corner member, or with sixbores in the case where the corner member is made from solidmaterial.Likewise, the rib 21 on the inner side of the panels 13 need not extendfor the full length of the panel, and maybe discontinuous if desired, solong as there are locking'means'on the inner side of each panel 13 forthe locking of samein the manner described,

While the invention has been described in terms of a preferredembodiment thereof, and also by way of some" alternate instructions, thescope of the invention is intended to be limited only by the claims hereappended.

I claim as my invention:

1. A construction toy set having structural'elements adapted forconnection in a combination to form astruc-- ture in space comprisingcube shapemembers each provided with an aperture in a plane facethereof, connector members of circular cross section connected to said'cube shaped members at said apertures to define a substantially squareshaped area, and a panel member closing the area defined by four areadefining connecting members, said panel member having cutout cornerportions closely fitting the portions of said cube shaped membersinter.- secting the plane of said area, said panel member beingsymmetrical and identical about axes' normal to each otherand lying inthe plane of'said panel member, and means for securing said panel memberto said connector members comprising locking means integral with saidpanelsand disposed at the edge portions of eachpanel, said locking meansclosely fitting said connectormembers of circular cross section;and'in'cross section consisting of an arcuate surface commencing on,the'front'faceofsaid panel member with a center corresponding to thecenter of said connector member in cross section and extending to apointof intersection with the back face of said panel member for adistance to embrace more than and less than of central angle wherebysaid panel member may be snapped into position on said connector memberswith such securing means concealed from viewv 2. A construction toy sethaving structural elements adapted for connection in a combination toform a structure in space comprising cube shaped members each providedwith an aperture in a plane face thereof, connector members of circularcross section connected to said cube shaped members at said apertures todefine a substantially square shaped area, and a panel member closingthe area defined by four area defining connecting members, said panelmember having cutout corner portions closely fitting the portions ofsaid cube shaped members intersecting the plane of said area, and meansfor securing said panel member to said connector members comprisinglocking means integral with said panels and disposed at the edgeportionsfof'each panel, said locking means closely fittingsaid'iconnector:membersiof circular cross section; and in.

cross section consisting of an arcuate surface commencing on thefrontface :oftsaidpanelmember with a center correspondingtothe 1 centerof saidtconnector member inv cross sectionand extending to a point ofintersection with the back'lface of said'panel member for a distance toembrace more than 90 and less than 180 of central angle whereby'saidpanel member may be snapped into position'on said connector members withsuch securing means concealedfrom view;

3. A construction toy set having structural elements adapted forconnection in a combination to form a structure in space comprisingcubeshaped members each provided with an aperture in a plane face thereof,connector members ofcircular cross section connected to said cube shapedmembers at said apertures to define a substantially square shaped area,and a panel member closingthe area defined by four area definingconnecting members, said panel member havingcutout corner portionsclosely fitting the portions of said cube shaped members intersectingthe plane of said area, said panel member being symmetrical and.identical about axes normal to eachIother-and lying in the plane of saidpanel member, and means for securing said panel member to saidconnector: memberscomprising locking means integral with said-panels anddisposed at the edge portions of each panel, the-said'edge portionsclosely fitting said connector members'ofcircular cross section, andsaid edge portions embracing more than 90 of central angle whereby saidpanel members may be snapped into position on said connector members;

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS

